Formed in 1885, Újpest reached the first division of the Hungarian League in 1905 and has been relegated only once since then. The club has been a member of the first division for 108 consecutive years. Újpest have been Hungarian champions twenty times, in addition to winning the Magyar Kupa eleven times and the Szuperkupa three times. In international competitions, Újpest are two-times winners of the Mitropa Cup and winners of the 1930 Coupe des Nations. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup 1973–74 and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1961–62, and were runners-up in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1968–69.
Újpest is part of the Újpesti TE family. The club includes other sports sections that represent the club at ice hockey and waterpolo.
History
Újpest was founded in 1885.[1] At that time, Újpest did not belong to Budapest. Újpest played their first Nemzeti Bajnokság I match in the 1905 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. In the 1910–11 season, they were relegated.[2] Újpest won their first Hungarian league title in the 1929–30 season.[3]
On 3 July 2017, Újpest announced that they changed their crest.[5] After a years of protests by supporters, and legal actions by UTE, the parent club, the management has decided to restore the traditional crest on 4 July, 2022.[6]
Naming history
1885: Újpesti TE (Újpesti Torna Egylet)
1926: Újpest FC (Újpest Football Club)(due to the introduction of professional football)
1945: Újpesti TE
1950: Bp. Dózsa SE (Budapesti Dózsa Sport Egyesület)
1956: Újpesti TE(during the Hungarian revolution)
1957: Ú. Dózsa SC (Újpesti Dózsa Sport Club)
1991: Újpesti TE
1998: Újpest FC
Manufacturers and shirt sponsors
The following table shows in detail Újpest FC kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors by year:
Current sponsorships: Joma, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Acquaworld Budapest, Ramada Resort Budapest, Puebla ticket, Karzol Trans, Szókép Nyomdaipari Kft., Lamborghini
Újpest's home stadium is Szusza Ferenc Stadion, which has been their home since the opening on 17 September 1922. It was known as Megyeri úti stadium until it was named after the club's legendary player, Ferenc Szusza in October 2003. After the renovations, which took place in 2000 and 2001, the ground can hold 13,501 spectators.[7]
Ownership
On 3 December 2008, it was revealed by BBC Sport that the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers were considering an alliance with Újpest. Jez Moxey, the Chief executive officer of the club said: "We have had some initial discussions in Budapest with the officials of Ujpest. We touched on the issues of loaning players, academies and sharing of best practice on and off the field."[8]
Roderick Duchâtelet said that he intends to bring back the glory of the 1970s.[14]
On 27 October 2011, Csaba Bartha, managing director of Újpest, confirmed that the club received 150 million Hungarian forint from Roderick Duchâtelet.[15]
In January 2022, Duchatelet was about to sell Újpest and found possible buyers. An agreement was also signed in January 2022 in which it was stated that the buyers should pay the remaining sum by the end of June. However, due the financial unpredictability caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War, the buyers could not transfer the remaining sum. Therefore, Újpest is still owned by the Belgian entrepreneur.[16]
On 27 April 2023, it was announced on Nemzeti Sport that Interactive Brokers Group, owned by Thomas Peterffy, is interested in purchasing the club.[17]
On 3 February 2024, it was revealed that Duchatelet would like to sell the club to Hungarian investors.[18][19][20][21] On 6 February 2024, Roderick Duchâtelet sold the club to MOL.[22][23][24]
On 21 March 2024, the club was officially purchased by the MOL Group.[25][26] Balázs Benczédi was elected as the managing director of the club. The price of the acquisition was around 15 million euros.[27][28][29]
Supporters
Supporters of Újpest are mainly from the fourth district of Budapest, the eponymousÚjpest. Due to the success in the 1970s, the club gained supporters from all over Budapest and the country.
Péter Majoros (Majka) (rapper, television personality)
Rivalries
Újpest are in rivalry with several teams from Budapest including Ferencváros, MTK Budapest, Budapest Honvéd and several provincial clubs such as Debrecen and Diósgyőr. Since Újpest have been the third most successful club of the Hungarian Football history by winning 20 Hungarian League titles and nine Hungarian Cup titles, and the most successful Hungarian club in the European football competitions in the 1970s, every club in the Hungarian League wants to defeat them.
The rivalry with Ferencváros dates back to the 1930s when Újpest won their first Hungarian League title. Since then the fixture between the two teams attracts the most spectators in the domestic league.[35] The matches between the two team often ends in violence which causes big trouble for the Hungarian football. The proposal of personal registration was refused by both clubs.
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^Magyarfutball.hu. "League table: I. osztályú professzionista ligabajnokság 1929/1930 • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
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^"Újpest FC: eldőlt, mostantól ez a klub új címere – fotó" [Újpest FC: It is decided, from now this is the new crest of the club] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 3 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
^"Újpest: a klub újra a tradicionális címert használja" [Újpest: The club uses the traditional crest again] (in Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
^Magyarfutball.hu. "Budapest, IV. ker., Szusza Ferenc Stadion: photos, data • grounds • Magyarfutball.hu". www.magyarfutball.hu. Archived from the original on 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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^"Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet sells Standard Liege". CityAM. 2015-10-29. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
^"Charlton Athletic: Owner Roland Duchatelet sells club to Abu Dhabi-based consortium". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
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^""Vissza akarjuk hozni a hetvenes évek sikerkorszakát" – belga kézbe került az Újpest FC". Origo.hu. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
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^TIBOR, PIETSCH (2022-07-01). "Kovács Zoltán: Nem jött össze. Most még nem… - NSO". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
^nemzetisport.hu. "NB I: milliárdos érdeklődők az Újpest iránt – sajtóhír - NSO". www.nemzetisport.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
^"Itt a vége, Duchatelet eladja az Újpestet, jövő héten jöhet az aláírás – NS-infó". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 2024-02-03. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
^István, Kocsmár-Tóth (2024-02-03). "Igazi korszakhatár lesz a Hungária körúti zakó, az újpestiek régi vágya válik valóra". index.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2024-02-18. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
^Origo. "Bombahír: Roderick Duchatelet 13 év után eladja az Újpest FC-t". www.origo.hu/ (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
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